Monday, September 28, 2009

Harvest Time!



I know it's been almost a week since our last post, but Aunt Pat hasn't felt too well. She's been recovering from both the surprise birthday party Daddy's friends threw him last week and our fluctuating weather that triggered some nasty migraines. No, the party wasn't wild...unless you count having both cake and cupcakes as wild. Not that we'd know, since Chloe and I weren't invited. Something about dogs not being allowed in restaurants. Darn Health Department. We had Aunt Pat get a card with some instant lottery tickets inside. Daddy won a dollar, which I guess is better than nothing. I hoped he'd go to the pet store and use his winnings to buy us a toy, but no such luck. Aunt Pat spent the day baking cupcakes and didn't give us any, either! I know I'm on a diet, but Chloe and I could have split one. We wouldn't have needed frosting, either even though it would have been very tasty.

It's that time of year again. Fall is truly upon us. Chloe and I have been helping Aunt Pat harvest the rest of the carrots from the garden. For some reason she planted them amongst the strawberry plants. Chloe and I had to help find them for her. There's nothing like the taste of freshly picked produce. I don't need Aunt Pat to pull them out for me. I figured out how to do it myself. First, I sniff around the ground to find the carrot. Then, I have to get a good grip on it. That means chewing off some of the green top.

The green part doesn't taste too good, and it only gets in the way. I'll give it a good yank or two. It's been pretty dry lately, so I've had to dig around some of the carrots to get them out. Usually a nice firm yank takes care of it.

I've been showing Chloe how to do it, but she'd rather wait for Aunt Pat to pick the smaller ones to give to her.


Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Happy Fall!

I can't believe it's the first day of Fall! We've enjoyed our time outdoors, both in the back yard and out on our walks. There's nothing like laying on the patio listening to the birds and the neighbor kids playing in their yards; watching Chloe stalk and chase the chipmunks and squirrels in our yard and the neighbors'; digging in the garden; and laying in the sun. Of course I knew Summer wouldn't last forever. Pretty soon Daddy and Aunt Pat will be shoveling paths in the snow for Chloe to walk around and potty in.

Chloe and I enjoy our walks, but I don't know how many we'll go for once the weather gets bad. The sidewalks on our street don't get plowed, so we'll be walking in the street once the snow gets deep. I hope they continue. I think the Vet hopes they'll continue, too. I got weighed at yesterday's appointment and I gained almost a pound. I'm supposed to lose 8 pounds. Oops. I guess I've been eating a little too much...or else their scale was off. I'm not too upset. After all, I did walk longer and faster on their treadmill and they wrote that I had a good day! Daddy and Aunt Pat were very disappointed, though. I didn't realize baby carrots had so many calories. I know it's the carrots. Eating out of Chloe's bowl has nothing to do with my weight gain. Maybe it's just my body getting ready for winter? We all need insulation for the cold weather, right?




Thursday, September 17, 2009

I've Been A Little Cranky...

the past couple of days. I spent nearly all day Monday at the new Vet. We did my treadmill walking, my whirlpool treatment, the laser, our muscle stretches and I even got a massage! Now I know why Aunt Pat loves her massages so much. They had me in a small penned in area in the reception area and I napped between treatments. Aunt Pat was a little concerned that I'd get homesick, but I wasn't. Everyone there is so nice, and ready with a scratch behind the ears, or a nice tummy rub. Plus, they play very soothing music. I was really excited when Aunt Pat came to get me I dragged her to her car! She was surprised I knew which car was ours.
I probably shouldn't have gone for walkies that night, because I was feeling it the next day, and yesterday. I've been limping more than usual on our walk, so we haven't been going as far as usual. The humans are giving me my aspirin more closely together and at night, so the mornings aren't as bad. I've also snapped at Chloe a couple of times. I'm sorry about that, but sometimes I don't want to be bothered by a perky dog. Sometimes Chloe doesn't get the hint that I don't want to be bothered so I end up snapping at her. Aunt Pat is making me a rice bag-a towel with some uncooked rice inside that can either be frozen for an ice pack, or heated in the microwave to use as a heating pad. She has a couple here, but I didn't like it. It was a little too heavy, so she's going to use less rice. Today has been better. No snapping, and I even played fetch this afternoon for a couple of tosses without stopping to rest. I go back this coming Monday, so hopefully I won't be as stiff next week.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Such a Pretty Girl


Yes, I'm a pretty girl, but Chloe is even prettier today! She went to the Groomer and she looks like a new dog. We saw Tony tonight on our walk, and it took a few sniffs for him to recognize her. She left the poor lad barkless...err, speechless. Tony's mom told Chloe how pretty she looked and how the ribbons in her hair were lovely. Mrs. G. said the same thing.


Chloe was very excited when Aunt Pat left her leash on after our morning walk. I know she's been feeling left out since I've been going to therapy. Aunt Pat thinks she recognized the building because when they turned the corner, Chloe started barking and jumped into the driver's seat! She couldn't wait to get out of the car once they parked. Aunt Pat wasn't happy, so I think she's going to look for some type of a car seat or restraint system for us. She doesn't want us to get hurt if something happens while we're out.

All the excitement and pampering pooped poor Chloe out. We sat outside in the backyard for a while to enjoy the nice weather. She was so tired, she didn't bark at the meter reader! But, he just threw the card on the porch without bothering to ring the doorbell again! She did recover in time to bark at the mailman, though.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

I Knew It Was Coming, But I'm Still Not Happy

I've been dreading this day. I had another appointment at the rehab Vet today. I knew I was going to be put on a diet, but It's always hard when "D"-day arrives. I need to lose close to 9 pounds. I know I'll feel better once I get the weight off, but I'm going to miss the little "extras" during the day...and evening. But, if all goes well, in 48 days the weight will be off. They're cutting back on the portions of both the wet and dry food. That's okay. I can always snack on Chloe's bowl. Oops! I shouldn't have said that so loudly. Aunt Pat and Daddy already try to chase me out of Chloe's bowl. Sometimes Chloe takes food into the dining room to eat and comes back to her bowl for more. Of course, I think she's finished, so I jump right in to finish the leftovers. I've never seen a piece of kibble I didn't like. Tonight, Aunt Pat fed us in different rooms and she put Chloe's bowl on top of the bread box when Chloe had finished so I couldn't get at it.


The real hardship in all this is cutting back on snacks. I can only have 4 biskees a day, and 2 slices of the deli turkey I use to take my pills! That's not fair! I can eat all 4 biskees in one sitting. Plus, I thought the calories from the turkey and the biskees didn't count. It's a well-known fact, at least I thought it was a well-known fact that the calories of food you take with medicine were cancelled. The food becomes medicine. Mary Poppins said it-"a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down in the most delightful way." If the sugar is delightful, it must help the medicine do its job, and thus becomes medicine. What kind of people would disagree with Mary Poppins? I'll have to get some clarification on this issue on Monday. I go back to spend the day and have my therapy. In the meantime, I guess I'll have to test the humans' will and their resistance to the irresistible looks of cuteness/pathetic dog "you must feel sorry for me" mojo I can muster.
Chloe has the cuteness thing down, no problem. Tomorrow she goes to the Groomer. She's looking forward to it.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Happy Labor Day!


We hope everyone had a happy and safe Labor Day weekend. It's the unofficial last weekend of summer, and we certainly enjoyed the nice weather. We laid in the sun for a while and spent some time hanging out on the patio. We also did some labor-helping Aunt Pat in the garden. I can't help if every time I see Aunt Pat pulling things up I think she's getting us something to eat! Chloe and I helped her pick the carrots that were ready, and she let us eat them! We even got a couple that weren't ready, but that's how we learn. We also stayed close to Aunt Pat as she was freezing vegetables. You never know when she might drop something, and it's very important to keep the floor clean so nobody trips and hurts themselves.

If Chloe looks a little sad in this picture, she is. Tony went away this weekend with his folks and I think she missed barking at him and sniffing his "mail" on our walks. Plus, school starts tomorrow and Chloe won't have as many people to bark at, err, say hello to during the day. She's a plucky girl and she'll adjust. I'm sure the kids will be out when we take our afternoon walk, so she'll be able to see them at that time.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

It's a Bird, No, A Plane, No, It's....


Super Heidi! Whoo hoo! I can fly! Well, with a little help from the lift they have at the Vet's office to get me into the tub. Aunt Pat thought I looked like Super Heidi when they put me in there this afternoon. Sure, I'm safely locked into a harness that my front legs poke through that goes up to my hind legs. But, with my coat all wet from walking on the underwater treadmill, getting into the harness looked like a superhero costume. All I need is a mask and a cape! Granted, I can't leap a building in a single bound, but I can sure hop over a full food bowl when I want to. I don't normally want to hop over a food bowl. I'd rather dig in!


Today at the Vet, I had a good sniff at a bowl in one of the boarding cages, but it was empty. That was probably a good thing, since they weighed me today. I'm 88.3 pounds, which is still too heavy. So, the people at the Vet's office will analyze my diet and come up with a plan that we'll see next week. They know I love fresh picked carrots and spinach, as well as beans, so hopefully this diet won't be too bad. Today I spent a little longer on the treadmill and went a little faster. It was also the first day I was in the tank myself. Of course, the Vet Assistants were right there, and they put a nice floaty thing in the water so I could rest my head while I walked.

Chloe has been very helpful lately. Yesterday, Aunt Pat made chicken pies, and Chloe was right there to keep the floor clean when Aunt Pat dropped anything. There were corn pieces, carrots, celery and some pieces of dough. She likes cooked carrots better than the raw ones since they're easier for her to chew. I'm trying to get her to try spinach. Right now, she'll sniff in the container, but she won't try any. I'm sure she'll dive in once Aunt Pat's fall crop comes up.